The Best of Schoolhouse Rock

Dry material like the multiplication tables and grammar is explained with a blend of poetic grace and pop sensibility.

Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Compilation Label: Rhino Records Parental Advisory: No Edited Version Available: No Release Date: 11/03/1998

Common Sense Note

Many of the songs provide lyrical devices to help children memorize facts like the multiplication tables or the preamble to the Constitution. More involved concepts are taught as well, like the properties of numbers or the parts of speech. A narrative approach is used in many tracks to explain historical developments and, in one case, the legislative process ("I'm just a bill and I'm sittin' here on capital hill . . .").

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Andy Davis

Any former kid who watched Saturday morning cartoons in the 1970s will recognize old favorites like "Conjunction Junction" or "I'm Just a Bill"--songs that are now being learned by a whole new generation of viewers. With ingenious lyrics, dry material like the multiplication tables and grammar is explained with a blend of poetic grace and pop sensibility. Four new Schoolhouse Rock songs on money and finance are also featured here.

The melodies are simple but endearing, and the rhythms are varied. "Conjunction Junction" features big band swing hooks while "The Preamble" is a sunny bluegrass tune. Witty vocal performances on "Just a Bill" and "Interjections" contrast with the hauntingly beautiful lullaby "Figure Eight."

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